Eyelet feeding mechanism



Aug. 15, 1950 J. A. AKEROYD EYELET FEEDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet '1Filed D90. 28, 1948 /9 56 ll ven kov His Ai torneg JuLius A. Akevo by J.A. AKEROYD EYELET FEEDING MECHANISM Aug. 15, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledD60. 28; 1948 g za lrwven tor": us A Akerogd,

His A t b'ovneg.

Patented Aug. 15 195 EYELET FEEDING MECHANISM Julius A. Akeroyd, EastGreenwich, R. I., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York Application December 28, 1948, Serial No. 67,733

Claims.

My inventionrelates to apparatus for making lamp bases having aperturedcontact eyelets embedded in molded endportions of insulating material.The invention has particular reference to an eyelet-feeding mechanism ofthe base-making apparatus and to the placement of the eyelet into themold thereof.'

Base-making apparatus is such thatthe molds in which the bases areassembled are, in a course of travel, momentarily presented at a stationbefore an automatically actuated mechanism which inserts the base eyelettherein and such that subsequently occurring operations thereof providefor the addition of the metal shell and insulation elements of the base.The present invention is concerned only with the eyelet-feedingfunctions of the apparatus and particularly with the advancing of singleeyelets from an in-line position to a proper'central position in moldspresented intermittently to one side thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide eyelet-feeding mechanismcapable of advancing and positioning the relatively small metal eyeletsof miniature bases in the molds of'a base making machine. The feedingmechanism has an oscillatory cycle of operation arranging it in positionto receive the end most eyelet advanced along a feed channeland thenrepositioning it laterally over the mold of the base-making apparatus.Accurate placement of the eyelet is dependent to a great extent upon aguide pin inserted into an opening therein at the receiving position ofthe feeding mechanism and moved laterally therewith to the mold. at thedischarge position thereof. Further accuracy is achieved by preferablycausing the end of the guide pin to enter an opening in the mold.

Another object of the "invention is to provide a permanently aligned,reasonably wear-free and reliable eyelet-feeding mechanism, whichmechanism is adapted to operate in such manner at the very high rates ofspeed desirable in base-making apparatus. The eyelet-feeding mechanismof this invention is also advantageous because of its simplicity ofadjustment.

Still other objects and advantages of this invention will appear fromthe following description of a species thereof and from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of an eyelet-feeding mechanismcomprising my invention and-an adjacent group of molds being advanced toand from operative relation thereto; Fig. 2 is an elevation of theeyelet-feeding mechanism line 2--2 of Fig. 1 in the direction indicated;Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views, on a larger scale, of the eyelet supplychannel, eyelet transfer shoe and the adjacent molds of the base-makingmachine at the receiving and delivery positions thereof respectively;and Figs. 5 and 6 are combination side and sectional views, taken fromthe arc of movement of the eyelet, of the end of the transfer shoe, themold of the base-making machine and the guidepin, the elements beinglocated at the receiving and the immediately following positions takenthereby.

The apparatus appearing in the drawing is designed to operate incombination with eyelet supply means, molds and driving meanscorresponding closely to that of the base-making apparatus appearing inUnited States Patent 1,210,237; 7 Walker et al., dated December 26,1916, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The eyeletsl first appear in the present apparatus in the feed channel 2 of thesupply means in a correspondingly orientated position and are, in theusual operations of said means, conducted by the channel 2 to thetransfer arm 3 of my invention which provides for the placement of saideyelets l in the molds 4 of the basemaking machine. In each cycle ofoperation of the apparatus, the transfer arm 3 moves a single eyelet llaterally from the end of the feed channel 2 to a specific positionwithin a mold 4 momentarily arranged adjacent thereto and then returnsto its original position. Between these operations of the transfer arm 3the normal functions of the base-making machine index successive molds 4on the turret 5 into operative relation to the transfer arm 3 so thatsuccessive molds 4 are in position to receive the eyelet I at thedelivery position thereof in each cycle of operation.

Portions of the base-making apparatus disclosed in United States Patent1,210,237 provide a constant supply of eyelets I completely filling thefeed channel 2 which is formed by the fixed plate segment 6 attached tothe post i and the arcuate plate segment 8 attached by means of thebridging plates 9 and It] to said plate segment 6. The feed channelaccommodates the upstanding hollow shank portion of the'eyelet l (asshown in greater detail in Figs. 3 and 5) and is of lesser widththan'the flared head portion l2 of the eyelet which rests on the smoothupper surface of a disk l3 fastened toa rotatable hub 14 (Fig. 2) on thefixed post 1. During all periods of operation of the apparatus the diski3 is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) by means of adrive effected from the main operating means (not shown) of thebase-making apparatus through the drive shaft l5, the gear IS on saidshaft i and the gear H on the hub i4. The frictional engagement of theheads 52 of the eyelets I with said disk 43 causes said eyelets to passone after the other along the feed channel 2. A transverse key 53 (Fig.2 extending through openings in the shank of the gear 55 and through aslot across the end of the shaft [5 causes these parts to rotatetogether, whereas, the frame [9 of the apparatus fixes the location ofthe shaft [5. Post 1 is also fixed in position by being mounted on saidframe I9 7 r Referring to Figs. 3 and 5; at the moment of initiation ofa cycle of operation of the eyelet feeding mechanism, the transfer arn 3is located opposite the end of the feed channel 2, and the end-mosteyelet l of those advanced through the feed channel 2 is containedwithin the pocket of the shoe 2] attached tothe end of the transfer arm3. As the pocket 2B is .Lonly large enough to accommodate the end-mosteyelet vi, the next succeeding eyelet, I, is bein pushed thereagainst bymovement of the disk, 13, but remains trapped in the feed channel .With'the advance of the cycle, the guide pin 22, which extends from, ,aVertical push rod 23 retained by the bracket 24 (see also Fig. 2) at aposition directly over said pocket 24), is caused to move down intothecentral opening in the eyelet j as shownin Fig e. Thismotion isbrought about by arocking of the operat n lever. (Fig 2) about the pin26 sup ported by the bracket 24 and under the control ihe s ams 2' flTuide n 2 w ch s clam to t e push, ro l by. h o r. Zh mounted in a mannerenabling it an'd the shoe]! t e nsf red. as a sin e u it-v. T 1315.636 hsa d h 2 is. f s en didi te yj adepehqz ins l p the braqketz. hdt e ush.red 2 mqunte 15, 1;v ti v ,mqyemehti n. a r iqh .9? Lheihrae et 2 The dw wa d h m htpfthe el d niihr ueM .a qh hv heh e ei hs lent zaispra heddi ct by th h eq iheh l a emen .w iq ..u. i d a ahv e d. n 9h. 9 thehshsr s 23 b twe n h flahsed, 7+9Whhd t ere and the b a keta employee h'slw hsh red .23 dqwh a 'd 9E V-f i?m .t9. ree hh the and o he-gu se.sin 22 9 s rr x mhr 9 the d h 1. QQht hl ilihe fiihhhffih h ehih 3. s tn t em ni hel ve 5 wh h hears a a n th qns lil t fil fi i epus M123 nd iQreai dh ad h he ihi h h 91;- ness of the porticn of the cam Z'l engagedby the roller}! on the end of said lever 25 adjacent Q Q- i t i heh ti nfjeu de p n 23. d i e cy le of operation in that said cam 21, which isrotated constantly, is driven by the main driving means 9f t e er ah nec ne a d is s ch h i ed wi h heh i' m h i e o s .Iil e W .27 is as 'dvtothe ve tic aft 32 x h l h through the hollow pivot post 33,whichfunctions as thecenter of the swinging motion of the trans: fer arm3, and is rotated through the motionpf said shaft 32, the trainof gears34 and 35 and the intermediate gear 36 the latter of which meshes withthe driven gear l1. Pins 31, 3] joining gears 35 and 56 cause them to berotat ed as a single unit about the supportingstud 53 which is fastenedto the frame IQ of the ap- -d l e i a v a v The receiving position ofthe transfenarm 3 is fixed by the engagement of an extension 4| there;

0f (Eig ll with the stop screw 42 while under the counter-clockwiseturning force of the conmeeting rod 43 attached to the projection 4| bybolt 44. The connecting rod 43', is comprised of the hollow head-end 45,an intermediate link 45 having a head portion 41 located between twohelical compression springs 48 and 49 confined within the hollowhead-end 45, and the crank endjfl: The said rod 43 which is actuated bythe crank imi 5| "attachedto the clockwise rotated disk 52 is moved anamount greater than that req'uired to cause extension 4! to engage screw42 which extends from an ear on the fixed collar 53 strain the base ofthe pivot post 33. The continuing, motion of the crank pin 5| in thepresently described interval of the cycle of operation, which motionresults because of the continuous rotation o f the disk 52 throughoutthe cycle, is absiirldd in the compression of the spring 48 by the link45 of the connecting rod 43. The driving means for the crank disk 52 isthe main driving means inptshdivnlpf the basemaking apparatus andturiiszsaiddisk fl in synchrofii'sm therewith one revolution during eachyc'l' of operation. n an i I lmmediately aftejr the guide 22 has bee nlowered into close prqximitytojhe feed disk [3, a pivotal transferringmovement occurs in the m wh ch rries t .sheit fl t l p q ime el irasha rQu fd hf h i k a nd over' the mold 4 to the vdeliv'rg' Dd sition of.ihet ahsi tsihifi sh v F S3fhhhrhnized with the transferring filofhoilis a further downward motion or the guide 22 aftefit has p ed be on theeshf i k ha d i h l"- e the. l er. e s 2; heme ih b we ah rh e 5 ini e.movable .hq i miherii h o t mold h silaiiers whwardmevei h of h 8 1 Riaprev n s h ey t L lt h i irih t uise in .22 b o it i hr r ;y p h s1Within the m old 4 andproyides means extending directly into said moldfor controlling the position of the eye-let 'l; The downward "movement9f the gu e 9.1.2 2 eh h si he gravitational QQWhWahd i m e ht ..6 the.e hlhkihg h r. s ees shi 0l9 -%l 9 9 j-P 9i-. a e .qa s t eh .9? ihsye hp parts bf the I rri ng m ;1chanism together effect the rapid h e hehiihe er. a thi @5 into h'lhld 4 f ed ass i q 'a pie m e j f in a piets ro ieh a erosi n a 4312 21 1 9h 1 in said mold 4; 7 Ln the presentshowing it should h .hh e t a t e o tom, 0f h mel 4 s a vable portionthereofand is raised from the hes-re than?! te lq e e ie nihv the leveli i k .3. a the' t h h ppq ethe y et es ing mecha ni sm by the presence013133111155 (Fig. 2) at said station. The apparatus is {also ofparticular advantage in that it is capable of handling the very smallbase eyelets of Ininature bases vvhichare the order. of .15 inch in diamte a id Q i h= e h at t e y high speeds of base-making apparatus whilepreventingthe eyelets I from being deposited in a tilted positipnas issometimes the case in the use of prior apparatus. u

The lateral transferring'movement; of thearm .Ii frOm itspick upposition to its delivery position occurs as the crank pin 5| draws thecon- {letting rod 43 to the left Fig. 1) and eifec-ts a clockwiserotation of said arm 3 about thepivot postjfi carrying it against thestop screw 5'! on the collar 53. The excess motion of the crank pin 5!in the present instance is'taken up in compression of lt-he spring 49insaid connecting rod 43. The collar 53 forms the support bearing for thetransfer arm 3 and is fixed in position by the keying action-of'thetaper pins 5s, 5a which fasten itto the cover plate 59 over the adjacentportion of the frame I9. A bearing cap 6!! threaded onto'the upper endof the pivot post 33 prevents upward motion of the transfer arm 3 andcompletes the assembly.

The final lowering movement of the guide pin 22 is brought about byfurther rotation of the cam 21 bringing a thinner portion thereof intoengagement with the roller 3| and completes the delivery functions ofthe transfer apparatus 5. During the lateral motion of the transfer arm3 the supply of eyelets I in the feed channel 2 is prevented fromescaping from the end thereof by the continuing presence of an arcuateface portion 2| (Fig. 4) of-the shoe 2| across the end or mouth of saidfeed channel 2.

The return movement of the transfer arm 3 is comprised of an upwardmovement'of the guide pin 22 carrying it out of the mold 4 and eyelet I,

and then a lateral movement of the arm 3 carrying it over into alignmentwith feed channel 2. The upward motion of the guide :pin 22 is pro-.duced by a gradually thickening portion of the cam 21 coming intoengagement with the roller 3| on operating lever 25, and the resultingupward movement of the push rod 23 against the expansion force of theSpring 29. The lateral motion of the transfer arm 3, on the other hand,is produced by the rotation of the crank pin 5 I.

The above described cycle of operation of the eyelet-feeding mechanismautomatically repeats itself at proper intervals and effects the feedingoperation in the very short time interval between the regular indexingmovements of the turret 5 which advance the molds 4 to and from thedelivery position thereof. The index of the turret 5 occurs during thelatter part of the return movement of the transfer arm 3 when allportions thereof are separated from the mold 4 and does not disturb theeyelet I which rests in an upright position in the depression or cavityin the movable bottom portion 55 of the mold 4.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. Apparatus for feeding metal eyelets to a mold having an aperturetherein comprising the combination of means for conducting a succcessionof eyelets to a receiving position adjacent the mold, transfer meansarranged for horizontal movement between the receiving position and adischarge position over the mold and including a portion having a pockettherein for retaining an eyelet, said transfer means further including aguide pin in axial alignment with and above tionally moving said pinthrough said pocket and into the aperture in said mold when the transfer means is at its delivery position.

2. Apparatus for feeding metal eyelets to a mold having an aperturetherein comprising the combination of means for conducting a successionof eyelets to a receiving position adjacent the mold and providing ahorizontal support surface on which the eyelets rest and which extendsinto close proximity to the mold, transfer means arranged for movementbetween the receiving position and a discharge position over the moldand including an end portion provided with a 75 notched pocket in.anedge thereof for receiving an upstanding portion; of an eyeletsupported by said support surface,said transfer means furtherincludingqa guide pin in axial alignment with and above said pocket andmeans mounting said pin for longitudinal movement toward said pocket,means for moving said transfer means from said receiving position tosaid delivery position, to carry the eyeletacross'and beyond the edge ofthe said support surfacerand over the mold, and means for moving said,pin into said pocket and into the eyelet therein while the transfermeansis at said receivingposition and for subsequently additionally movingsaid pin through said pocket and into the aperture in said mold when thetransfer means is at its delivery position.

, 3. Apparatus-fonfee'ding metal eyelets to a mold having an aperturetherein comprising the combination of means forming a feed channel forconducting a succession of eyelets to a receiving position adjacent themold, means providing a continuously advancing horizontal supportsurface located under the said channel and extending in close proximityto the mold for supporting the eyelets and advancing them through thechannel to the receiving position, transfer means arranged for movementbetween the receiving position and a discharge position over the moldand including a shoe portion located closely adjacent said supportsurface and provided with a notched pocket in an edge thereof forreceiving a portion of an eyelet advanced thereinto by said supportsurface, said transfer means further including a guide pin in axialalignment with and above said pocket and means mounting said pin forlongitudinal movement toward said pocket, means for moving said transfermeans from said receiving position to said delivery position, to carrythe eyelet across and beyond the edge of the said support surface andover the mold and means for moving said pin into said pocket and intothe eyelet therein while the transfer means is at said receivingposition and for subsequently additionally moving said pin through saidpocket and into the aperture in said mold when the transfer means is atits delivery position.

4. Apparatus for feeding metal eyelets to a mold having an aperturetherein comprising means providing a horizontal support surface on whichthe eyelets rest and which extends between a receiving position adjacentthe mold and a discharge position in close proximity to said mold,transfer means arranged for movement between the receiving and dischargepositions and including an end portion provided with a notched pocket inan edge thereof for receiving an upstanding portion of an eyeletsupported by said support surface, said transfer means further includinga guide pin in axial alignment with and above said pocket and meansmounting said pin for longitudinal movement toward said pocket, meansfor moving said transfer means from said receiving position to saiddelivery position, to

carry the eyelet across and beyond the edge of the said support surfaceand over the mold, and means for moving said pin into said pocket andinto the eyelet therein while the transfer means is at said receivingposition and for subsequently additionally moving said pin through saidpocket and into the aperture in said mold when the transfer means is atits delivery position.

5. Apparatus for feeding metal eyelets to a mold having an aperturetherein comprising the combination of a continuously rotated disk lc- 1ateci adjaeent the mold for supporting and adv'aneing an: eye-let;transfer means comprising an arm mounted to pivot, between areee' ng'positionover the disk and a discharge position over the mold, saidarmhaving a shoe portion elosely adjacent the surface of said withanotched poeket in an edge thereof for receiving and retaining aportionof an eyeietadvariced thereinto by said disk, a guide pin: mounted onsaid arm in axial alignment with and above said pocket for longitudinalmovement towardsaid pocket, means for moving said armfrom said receivingposition to saiddelivery position across the surface of said disk, andmeans for moving said 'p'in into said pocket and into the eyelet thereinwhile the transfer arm is at said receiving' position and forsubsequently additionally 8 moving said pi nthrough said'pocket and intothe aperture in the mold when the transfer arm is at its deliveryposition.

JULIUS A. AKEROYD.

5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,164,821 KingstonDec. 21, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 27,001 GreatBritain of 1898

